


Ichigo and Orihime: In the Movies

by jylener22



Category: Bleach, Various Movies
Genre: Chapters will be inspired by various movies and/or tv shows, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 02:17:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13203642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jylener22/pseuds/jylener22
Summary: Stand-alone chapters wherein Ichigo and Orihime take on various theatrical roles that I feel fit them quite well. Not really my intention to ever do more than one chapter per movie, but who knows how things will play out.





	1. Pirates of the Caribbean

“Hurry up, Mommy! Today might be the day!”

Smiling down at her son for a brief moment, Orihime nevertheless decided not to rush putting the finishing touches to her hair and returned her gaze back to the mirror as she said, “Don’t worry, Kazui. We’ll get there in more than enough time to greet your father if he comes today.”

Trying to keep himself from fidgeting too much in eager anticipation, Kazui swayed from side to side while bouncing on the balls of his feet as he asked, “Will you tell me again, Mommy? Tell me about Daddy, please?”

Even though her eyes began to glisten, Orihime replied in a rather cheery yet faraway tone, “I first met your daddy when we were young children. Your Uncle Sora and I were sailing from England to the islands as he had been commissioned by the governor of the time to come and work for him. We came upon a wrecked ship and your daddy was floating in the water, so we brought him aboard.”

“And he was the only survivor, right?” supplied Kazui in a solemn tone as he ceased fidgeting for a few moments.

Nodding her head slowly, Orihime then continued, “We took care of Ichigo and when we landed, Uncle Sora helped him find work in town. Your uncle also made sure Ichigo was sponsored so that he could attend a good school.”

A knowing grin spreading across his face, Kazui said in his most innocent voice, “And you made sure to visit Daddy often, didn’t you, Mommy?”

Trying to suppress her grin at her son’s cheeky behavior, Orihime finally finished with her hair, turned towards Kazui with hands on hips and her best impression of a stern glare as she replied, “Why of course I did, if only to make sure he was eating properly and taking care of himself.”

Reaching over to pull Kazui’s hat from a nearby peg, Orihime then handed it to him as she asked, “Shall we head out then?”

Taking his mother’s hand and gently yet eagerly pulling her along, Kazui prompted, “Don’t stop the story, Mommy. What happened next?”

“Well,” said Orihime as she lengthened her strides to walk alongside her son, “several years went by and things were pretty peaceful until a band of pirates attacked our town and I was taken hostage. At the time, I had been visiting with the governor’s wife and when the pirates came to ransack the house they assumed I was his daughter or relative they could hold for ransom and decided to take me with them. By the time they figured out that I was not, we were already well out to sea and I was convinced that they would…well, find they had no use for me. For reasons I’ll never understand, their leader decided to keep me as a hostage and actually treated me more like a guest on his ship.

“Meanwhile, when your father found out from the governor that the navy had to wait at least a week or more to receive their official orders to give chase and then actually stock up provisions for the journey, he decided to do something about it himself. He tracked down a formerly notorious pirate in the area and convinced him to get together a crew and sail after us. Fortunately for your father, while the former pirate was not all that impressed by the amount of money being offered, which was actually all the money Ichigo had managed to save in the time he’d been working, he was quite keen to chase after this particular pirate in order to settle an old score. So, they set off two days behind us.”

Unable to contain his excitement over the next part of the story, Kazui blurted out while hop-skipping the next few steps, “And when Daddy and the others caught up with the pirates, he fought with all his might and saved you from their evil clutches!”

Tossing her head back and laughing, Orihime replied, “Yes, that would be an accurate description of what happened, I suppose.”

“And then you and Daddy went on more adventures with the former pirate and got married at sea!” Kazui crowed victoriously as he punched the air.

“Yes, yes we did,” said Orihime with a reminiscent expression, “At the time, I couldn’t see how our adventures would ever need to end…” here she turned to Kazui and said fondly, “…but then when we found out you were on the way, your daddy and I decided that it would be best if I came back home and raised you here.”

“I know,” said Kazui as he gradually slowed his pace and became more pensive as he inquired, “but Mommy, I still don’t understand why Daddy couldn’t stay with us.”

Coming to a stop at the edge of a long pier and looking out over the vast expanse of ocean, Orihime squeezed her son’s hand as she said, “Well, even though your daddy and his friends chased after the pirates in order to try and save me and avenge those they had hurt along with way, they had taken the law into their own hands and there were consequences for those choices. Usually such crimes would be punishable by death or life in prison, but the governor decided to extend mercy and gave Ichigo and the others a choice between 20 years in prison or 10 years serving in the royal navy. Everyone chose to serve.”

Heaving a heavy sigh for a nine-year-old, Kazui said, “Guess that makes sense…I just wish…”

Wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug and kissing his oh-so-familiar orange hair, Orihime murmured soothingly, “I know, darling…believe me, I know.”

They stood like that in silence for several minutes before Kazui finally asked, “Do you think Daddy’s ship will come back today?”

Kissing his hair again, Orihime answered, “I don’t know, sweetheart. That’s why we come here every day, so we can see his ship the moment it arrives.”

Reaching up to take hold of Orihime’s arm and patting it affectionately, Kazui said under his breath, “I do hope it’s today.”

Orihime could only nod in agreement as a sizable lump had formed in her throat.

And like two statues, they continued to keep a lookout for over an hour before something happened. Orihime had just been about to say it was probably time for them to head home when she saw a ship start sailing around the enormous rocky inlet. While she didn’t want to say anything for fear of being wrong and falsely raising her son’s hopes, Orihime couldn’t help the feeling of elated anticipation creeping up from her toes.

Ten seconds later, Kazui saw the ship, pointed and declared, “Look Mommy! A ship’s coming in! A ship’s coming in! It might be Daddy’s! Is it his ship, Mommy? Is it?”

Ruffling his hair, Orihime said in as steady a voice as she could muster, “I don’t know, sweetheart. It’s been so long and they all look so alike.”

And so they continued to wait while the ship got closer, only now both Orihime and Kazui were hoping and praying for it to be the one they were waiting for. When the ship was about a quarter mile from the dock, Orihime gripped Kazui’s shoulders and began to cry.

Looking up at his mother in alarm and worry, Kazui asked hurriedly, “Mommy, what’s wrong? Is it the wrong ship?”

Placing a hand over her mouth and shaking her head, Orihime choked out, “No, Kazui…just the opposite. That’s your father’s ship. I’m sure of it. He’s come home.”

Another ten minutes or so passed before the ship finally arrived at the port and another five while lines were tossed back and forth to secure it and put the ramp in place. On the outside, Orihime and Kazui looked calm as they stood stock still, but internally they were both a mess of nervous energy, waiting to catch a glimpse of the one they were waiting for.

Eventually, men began to disembark, carrying heavy looking crates or large packs off the ship. Finally, a figure stepped onto the ramp and Orihime once again involuntarily gripped Kazui’s shoulders. This time, the boy knew exactly what that meant and cast his gaze around until he saw a tall man, muscularly built, clean shaven and with orange hair like his own.

Unable to contain himself, Kazui broke away from his mother and raced towards the ship calling out, “Daddy! Daddy! It’s me! Kazui! Daddy!”

Ichigo heard the boy’s elated shouts, looked around until he saw the figure running towards him and so dropped his own pack to take several running steps to meet his son at the bottom of the ramp and sweep him up into his arms for a warm embrace.

Wrapping his arms around his father’s neck and burying his face against his neck, Kazui howled, “You’re home, Daddy! You’re home at last!”

Rubbing the back of his son’s head, Ichigo grunted, “Yeah. And I’m home for good now.”

Sitting back in his father’s arms far enough to see Ichigo’s face, Kazui asked with a wide-eyed expression, “Do you really mean that? You’re not going back out to sea?”

Grinning and shaking his head, Ichigo replied, “Not if I have anything to say about it…at least, not without you and your mom coming with me this time.”

Whirling around to look at Orihime, Kazui called over, “Mommy! Did you hear that?! Daddy says he’s never going to leave us again! He’s staying for good!”

With one hand covering her mouth and the other one wrapped around her stomach, Orihime could only nod in understanding as the tears she had been holding back came cascading down her cheeks.

Almost without thinking, Ichigo put Kazui back on the ground and ruffled the boy’s hair once more as he moved to stand in front of his wife. Ichigo then reached out a hand to almost reverently push back a few stray strands of hair from her face before cupping Orihime’s cheek and rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone.

“I’m home, Orihime.”

Nodding her head and choking out a laugh, Orihime reached out to pull her husband’s face towards her own and give him a kiss filled with all the feelings of love she had continued to have for him over the past 10 years he had been away.

When she pulled away, Orihime only just managed to croak out, “Welcome home, Ichigo,” before she was pulled into a kiss to match the one she had just given him. They were living proof that in many ways, absence can make the heart grow fonder and yet, in the years to come, they were both grateful to never be apart from each other for more than a day or two.


	2. The Little Mermaid

“Umm, Princess…it’s getting pretty late and I was just thinking it might be wise to start heading home.”

Stretching her arms above her head before allowing them to drape behind the rock she was lying on, Orihime replied with a heavy, drawn-out sigh, “I suppose,” and then she lifted her head up to look over at her friend and ask, “Hanataro, do you ever wonder what life is like beyond the sea?”

The young merman shook his head so vigorously that he sent a cascade of bubbles fluttering upwards and replied, “Oh no, Princess! I learn far more than I would like to tagging along with you on your scavenger hunts!”

Rolling her eyes playfully at her childhood friend and confidant, Orihime reached into her ‘treasure bag’ and pulled out a tarnished, shell and sand-encrusted candelabra, saying, “You mean to tell me that you’re not the least bit curious as to what the humans might use this for? Do they use it on their feet after walking around all day long? Do they use it to help prepare their meals? Do they…”

When Orihime was unable to think of another explanation, Hanataro wrung his hands and said nervously, “Or they might use it as a weapon of some kind.”

Frowning in confusion, Orihime turned the candelabra over in her hands before she shook her head and said, “I don’t think so, Hanataro. It’s so beautifully decorated, I don’t believe it could possibly be used to hurt anyone.”

Shivering and looking around them as if he were sure a band of humans was going to spring out of the seaweed and attack them, Hanataro said hastily, “Put that back please, Princess, and let’s get out of here.”

Just as she was moving to do just that, a bright flash of light caught her attention. It took her a moment or two to realize that it had come from above the surface. Seizing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, Orihime pumped her fin for all she was worth to reach the surface as quickly as possible and investigate the light. To her immense delight, Orihime saw other colorful flashes follow after the first, so she was fairly certain that by the time she got above the surface to look around, the light would still be there and she could see what it was. 

While his instincts were screaming at him to swim for all he was worth back to the castle and report the princess to the king, Hanataro took a brief moment to vent his frustration by giving his hair a good yank and smack his hands against his cheeks, the young merman took off after his royal charge.

A split second before her head broke the surface, Orihime realized that she was moving much to quickly to stop her momentum and rise gracefully and undetected above the water, so she decided to ‘play dolphin’ instead. Flicking her fin to give herself more lift, Orihime’s body soared above the ocean for a moment or two before she arched her back and dove back into the water, making sure to keep her arms tucked tightly against her sides. Once she was beneath the water again, Orihime gradually slowed her pace and kept about a foot below the surface and headed in the direction that the lights seemed to be coming from.

“Wait Princess!” Orihime heard Hanataro call from behind her and while a part of her felt guilty for ignoring both him and the strict guidelines about staying away from humans, she felt as though there were an invisible reel pulling her through the water towards the large ship, which she could now see was the source of those lights. Since she was also just below the water, she could hear and feel the vibrations of something exploding each time the lights flashed.

Coming up alongside the ship, Orihime slowly raised her head above the surface making absolutely sure so humans were glancing over the deck who might spot her. Hearing laughing, singing and music, Orihime once again felt that insistent tug and before the back of her brain could say, “Don’t do it! You’ll get caught!” in a tone that sounded a lot like Hanataro, she was already pulling herself up the side of the ship using the footholds built in there. Close to the top, there was a jutting ledge where the window of the captain’s cabin was and so Orihime carefully maneuvered herself so that she was sitting securely while also being able to raise herself high enough to look through the railing at what was happening on deck. And oh, what wonderful sights she saw.

While the music sounded rather strange to her ears, the instruments themselves flashed and glistened in the light of the lanterns and torches all over the deck. The musicians swayed in time to the music and it reminded Orihime of seaweed gently moving with the tide while the everyone else dancing around made Orihime think of dolphins frolicking with each other. Unconsciously, her head and tail were bobbing to the beat when all of a sudden she saw him.

Honestly, it was his hair that she noticed first as the bright orange did tend to stick out among people whose hair was predominantly darker shades of black or even brown with a handful of blondes thrown in for good measure. Then, casting her gaze a little lower, Orihime found herself looking at the brownest and most intense pair of eyes she had ever seen. Standing off to the side from the others, the young man was leaning against a banister with a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth and seemed to be enjoying watching everyone else having fun. As if moving on its own, Orihime’s hand came up to cup her cheek as she continued staring dreamily at the young man.

Soon after, an older man stepped forward and clapped his hands together, calling for quiet as he did so. When everyone had complied, the man gestured for the young man who had caught Orihime’s attention to step forward. Even though the young man rolled his eyes and seemed reluctant to push himself away from the banister, from his expression and the laughing from the other men, Orihime could tell that it was all done in good fun.

Gesturing towards the young man, the other man said in a solemn, sonorous, important tone, “As you are all aware, my son is not one for speeches, but before he receives his gifts in honor of his 21st birthday, now would be an excellent time for him to say a few words.”

Waiting until the cheering and good-natured jokes had died down, the young man said simply, “Yes, tonight has been an enjoyable evening, so I appreciate all the work and effort everyone put in to make it so.”

So absorbed in watching the scene before her, Orihime hadn’t noticed Hanataro gathering up his courage to scale up the side ladder and join her on the window ledge until his hand brushed against her tail. Jolting in surprise, Orihime squeaked in surprise, but managed to quickly clap a hand over her mouth and muffle the sound.

Clasping Orihime’s free hand, Hanataro whispered insistently, “Princess, we have to get out of here quickly! The currents and wind are changing and it feels like a huge typhoon is on its way. It will be here any minute! We have to get back home before it hits!”

“What about them?” replied Orihime, “Will they be all right?”

“They’re on this huge thing, I’m sure they’ll all be just fine,” answered Hanataro as he pulled as gently yet insistently on her hand, “Now let’s get out of here!”

Taking just long enough to take one last, longing look at the young man, Orihime nodded in agreement and jumped in perfect tandem with Hanataro as he dove back into the ocean. The moment she was once again immersed in the ocean, Orihime felt exactly what Hanataro had described. A storm stronger than she could have imagined was very nearly upon them.

“Wait, Hanataro,” said Orihime as she grasped her friend’s arm, “let’s go to the bottom where the currents aren’t so strong, but I don’t want to leave just yet. Something doesn’t feel right about this.”

For just a moment, Hanataro looked ready to forcibly grab Orihime’s arm and drag her back to the palace in his worry and panic over her safety, but the look evaporated as quickly as it came and he simply asked, “Princess, what’s the point? What are you hoping to accomplish?”

Shaking her head, Orihime replied, “I don’t know, Hanataro, but something doesn’t feel right about this. It’s all happening so fast and I just feel like if I leave now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

Sighing and nodding in agreement, Hanataro linked arms with her so that they wouldn’t be separated as they swam through the stronger currents near the surface. He also tried to shield her from any debris whipping through the water. When they finally reached the ocean floor, they both watched in horrified fascination as the storm began to wreak havoc on the world above the water.

The ship was tossed about on waves that continued to get bigger with each passing minute. After a time, Orihime saw an orange light begin to blossom all across the ship’s deck and until before, Orihime didn’t get a good feeling from those lights. Her uneasy feelings were affirmed when she saw several smaller boats hit the surface of the water and begin making their way away from the ship as fast as they could go. About a minute later, the ship exploded and it seemed as though the sky above them was set on fire.

In the fading light from the explosion, Orihime noticed several small figures hit the water and quickly get sucked into the raging currents. While most of them immediately started swimming and struggling to make their way towards the smaller boats, one remained eerily still as it was tossed about.

Without another thought, Orihime once again took off like an arrow, slicing through the water at an angle to minimize the amount the ocean would be able to snatch at her. As she drew closer to the figure, Orihime recognized it as the young man she had been so enthralled with and immediately put on a fresh burst of speed brought on by desperation. Taking a firm hold on him, Orihime brought the young man to the surface and then fought to drag him through the raging waters in the direction she knew land would be. It was harder than she thought it would be, but she struggled on, knowing that if she failed in her goal, the young man would die.

Next moment, she panicked when she felt what she thought was an especially strong current begin to pull the young man from her arms, but when she turned to look, she saw Hanataro swimming alongside and helping her to support the young man. Exchanging matching grim smiles, the two worked together for what seemed like an eternity before they reached a relatively safe and secluded harbor. Dragging him as far up the beach as they could go, Hanataro and Orihime made sure the young man was facing upright and breathing steadily before turning over on their backs to catch their breath and rest after their ordeal.

Recovering sooner than her friend, Orihime opened her eyes and saw that dawn was quickly approaching, which meant the storm had abated. The sky was along the horizon was almost crimson in color, which was at odds with the fact that the storm had already happened. It also convinced Orihime a bit more that the storm itself had not been entirely natural.

Those thoughts were quickly pushed to one side when she turned her head and saw the young man’s calm, sleeping face turned slightly in her direction. Turning on her side and sitting up so that she was looking down on him, Orihime’s expression softened as she got her first real look at the young man and her breathing slowed involuntarily to match his own. Unconsciously, Orihime carefully brushed the sand from his hair and face before tenderly cupping the side of his face.

“If only I knew your name,” Orihime whispered half to herself, half to the unconscious male, “While there are so many things I don’t know about you, if I only knew your name it would be enough for now.”

“…Ich…Ichi…go…”

Orihime almost didn’t catch it. However, when she realized that the young man had actually begun to wake up, she froze and drank in every syllable. Hanataro also froze when he heard the young man’s voice, only when he came to himself, he did not feel the urge to linger a little longer and watch the young man slowly open his eyes to reveal those warm brown eyes once more.

Just before Hanataro pulled her once more into the ocean and allow him to finally take her home to the palace, Orihime saw Ichigo’s eyelids flutter and then slowly begin to open. Their eyes met for a heartbeat that seemed to last for an eternity and yet ended all too quickly. As she swam along compliantly, all Orihime could see in her mind’s eye was those eyes and all she could hear was him revealing his name.

For Ichigo’s part, he had slowly been eased back to reality and consciousness by an angel. Or at least, that’s how it seemed to him. How else could he describe the feeling of soft, gentle hands caressing his face or the sound of such a melodious voice? Or especially, how could he express with words the beauty he had seen the moment he opened his eyes only for her to vanish the next. When he fully came to himself, Ichigo was sure that it had all been a dream…but that didn’t mean he intended to forget that particular dream any time soon.


End file.
